Land to the rear of St Anne's Church, Manchester Road, Clifton, Swinton, M27 6PP

1. 1.The proposed access track would be located within the Green Belt and, by reason of its scale, hard surfacing and associated degree of residential activity likely to be generated, would result in harm to the openness and rural character of the Green Belt. The development fails to preserve the openness and conflicts with the purposes of including land within it so does not meet the exceptions set out paragraph 154 of the National Planning Policy Framework and therefore constitutes inappropriate development. Substantial weight must be given to this harm, and no very special circumstances have been demonstrated to clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies GB1 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies, Policy JP-G9 of Places for Everyone and the National Planning Policy Framework.
2. 2.The development would obstruct and adversely affect a confirmed Public Rights of Way crossing the site (Swinton & Pendlebury Footpath 110). The proposed layout would have an adverse impact on the walking route reducing pedestrian accessibility, impacting on usability and legibility and introducing conflict between pedestrians and private residential use. The proposal therefore fails to protect and enhance the Public Right of Way and no lawful or secured diversion has also been approved, all contrary to Policies A2, A3, A6 and GI3 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and the National Planning Policy Framework.
3. 3.The proposed development by reason of its isolated backland siting, excessive scale and height and incongruous design, taken together, would appear visually prominent and out of character considering the semi-rural and open nature of the site and the established character and pattern of development in the surrounding area. For these reasons the development would result in a harmful visual impact on the character of the site and area, contrary to Policies D1–D4, D7 and GI3 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies, Places for Everyone Policy JP-P1, and the National Planning Policy Framework.
4. 4.The proposed development is located in close proximity to the Grade II listed Church of St Anne’s. The application is not supported by a comprehensive heritage assessment prepared by a suitably qualified professional to assess the significance of the listed building and the impact of the development on its setting. Insufficient information has therefore been provided to enable the Local Planning Authority to determine whether the proposal would preserve the significance of the designated PA/2025/1145 heritage asset. The proposal is contrary to Policies HE1 and HE2 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies, Places for Everyone Policy JP-P2 and the National Planning Policy Framework.
5. 5.The application site lies within the Clifton Country Park Site of Biological Importance (SBI). The submitted ecological information fails to establish an appropriate baseline, adequately assess the impacts of the development on the SBI and priority woodland habitat, or provide a robust and policy-compliant mitigation and compensation strategy. In the absence of sufficient information, the Local Planning Authority cannot determine whether the proposal would avoid harm to biodiversity or deliver biodiversity net gain. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy BG2 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies, Places for Everyone Policy JP-G8, The Environment Act 2021 and the National Planning Policy Framework.
6. 6.No Energy and Carbon Statement or Carbon and Energy Proforma has been submitted to demonstrate that the development would minimise energy demand, reduce carbon emissions or incorporate low-carbon and energy efficient design measures. In the absence of this information, the proposal cannot be adequately assessed against local and strategic sustainability objectives and fails to demonstrate compliance with Policies CC1 and EG1 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and Places for Everyone Policies JP-S1 and JPS2.
7. 7.The application fails to demonstrate that an acceptable vehicular access can be achieved via Church Walk, an unadopted route containing a Public Right of Way, and the adjoining section of land leading to the site. Insufficient information has been provided regarding the condition, surfacing and construction of the access route, including the absence of a dilapidation survey, and how vehicular use would be accommodated without harming pedestrian safety or the operation of the Public Right of Way. As such, the Local Planning Authority cannot be satisfied that the proposal would not harm highway safety or the integrity and amenity of the Public Right of Way, contrary to Policies A2, A3, A6, A7 and GI3 of the Salford Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.
8. 8.Insufficient information has been submitted to assess land stability and ground conditions on this sloping site. No geotechnical or ground investigation evidence has been provided to demonstrate that the site is stable or that the development could be constructed and occupied safely without giving rise to land instability risks. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy PH4 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and the National Planning Policy Framework.
9. 9.Insufficient and inappropriate arboricultural information has been submitted to accurately identify existing trees, assess the impacts of the proposed development, or demonstrate appropriate mitigation and protection measures. The submitted information is outdated, incomplete and does not reflect the current site circumstances. As a result, the Local Planning Authority cannot be satisfied that the proposal would protect existing trees or the local treescape. The development is therefore contrary to Policy GI5 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies, Places for Everyone Policy JP-G7 and the National Planning Policy Framework. Article 35 Declaration The proposal would not improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area nor does it comply with the development plan and therefore does not comprise sustainable development. There were no amendments to the scheme, or conditions which could reasonably have been imposed, which could have made the development acceptable and it was therefore not possible to approve the application.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

M27 6PP

Application type

Full planning permission

Scale / size

Small

Date validated

3 March 2026

Target decision date

26 March 2026

Application expires

30 April 2026

Statutory period

58 days

Documents

26